The NFL Draft season is well underway. For me, it began with the Senior All Star games in January and then the NFL Combine. However, for most fans, they start paying attention after Free Agency in early March. With only 16 days away (April 26th-28th) from the draft in Dallas, all fans are interested in who they can get at their pick. So, I’m going to give a 3 Part Draft 101 series for the fans to be able to consume the Draft with a little more information than most. This is Part I – Draft Basics and Draft Order.
Draft Basics:
There are currently 7 rounds to the NFL Draft – 256 picks in all. Now, 32 times 7 is actually 224 picks. The other 32 picks are called Compensatory Picks (more on that later). In decades past, there were a lot more rounds (double digits). The NFL has gotten very sophisticated with the draft order, as each draft spot has a contract dollar amount associated with it. So, the first 7 rounds are literally locked into a salary structure, and if you a player is drafted, then they have to report to that team’s camp. Of course, there have been instances when players do not want to play for certain teams and forced a trade like John Elway in 1983 (Colts and eventually to Broncos) and Eli Manning in 2004 (Chargers to Giants).
The Draft now is completed over 3 days. Day 1 is only the 1st round picks – 32. Day 2 – holds the 2nd and 3rd Round picks. Finally, Day 3 holds Rounds 4-7. The NFL has made the Draft a true event. In 2015, the NFL had the Draft for the first time outside of New York in decades (1965). Chicago hosted the Draft in 2015 and set the bar for how the weekend would be. Now, the NFL Draft is a fan weekend with activities for the fans to interact beyond the stage and podium. Chicago hosted the Draft in 2015 and 2016. In 2017, the Draft moved to Philadelphia, and Philly did the Draft one better with the entire draft being held outdoors on the famous Rocky steps. For the first time, the entire crowd could see the stage in person, not just on a screen. In 2018, the Draft will be held in Dallas at AT&T Stadium which is nicknamed Jerry’s World after Dallas Cowboy owner, Jerry Jones. I’m sure Dallas will try to one up Philly and Chicago.
Theoretically, each team gets a pick in each round of the draft based on their previous year records and playoff results – worst team gets 1st pick and Super Bowl winner gets #32. However, like no other major sports league, the NFL uses future picks often in trades to change their team’s draft position. For example, in this year’s draft, Cleveland has the 1st pick in the draft – a coveted position, since they had the worst record in 2017. However, because they traded one of last year’s early picks to move back in the 1st round (#11 to Houston to move back to #25 in 2017), they picked up an additional 1st round pick at #4 – Houston’s draft position this year. Trades allow teams to “trade up” to take a player they really want or to “trade down” to get extra picks in the current year or future years. Trading down is often called “stockpiling” picks, a common strategy for teams that are not very talented or are trying to rebuild their talent base with more players rather than finding that one player to complete a team.
Compensatory Draft picks are based on a formula for lost free agents of a team. The formula is completed prior to the Draft, and the picks can take place in Rounds 3-7. Here are the 2018 picks:
Now, the NFL focuses on the 7 rounds and has a system for Undrafted Free Agents (UFAs) to sign with teams immediately after the draft and be invited to the team’s camp. The UFA system is fascinating and it shows that the NFL can be a true meritocracy. One very recent UFA of note was Malcolm Butler of New England who as a rookie intercepted Russell Wilson to win Super Bowl XLIX.
2018 Draft Order:
As of this post, the Draft Order is as follows:
https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/draft/order
The Draft Order can still change both prior to April 26th, but it often changes in real time during the Draft itself. A team can make a trade of their pick while the draft is underway and even when they are “On The Clock.” The Draft Day trades are one of the exciting things that happen for a viewer. Here is a list of time limits when a team is “On The Clock” making their pick.
https://www.thoughtco.com/nfl-draft-time-limits-by-round-1335844
Basically, 10 minutes in Round 1 down to 5 minutes in Round 7.
Ok, tomorrow, I will post on Part II: Player Groupings and Player Evaluation.
Hopefully, this was helpful.
Wegs
I wonder if DCC will make an appearance at Jerry’s World during the draft festivities this year. The Cheerleaders are almost as much a part of Dallas as the Cowboys.